Taming the Evil
by dxdevlin
Summary: SEQUEL POSTED Marik takes Mokuba's soul in an attempt to strengthen his Rod and conquer the Millennium Items. Seto turns to Isis for help, but will it be enough to overcome a dangerous lunatic?
1. The Encounter

*Disclaimer: I do not own the characters/ other stuff like the Millennium Items and uh stuff like that. But I _do_ repeat _do_ own the plot cuz itz aalll moine! yay!

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A tall, blue-suited man crept silently through the dark, desolate woods of the forest. Numerous trees loomed above him, casting long shadows on the ground below him. The wind howled in his face; the leaves rustled below his feet. _Where am I?_ he thought to himself. _What is this place? It's creeping me out._ The high-pitched scream of a young boy echoed in the distance, sending shivers down the man's spine.

            _"Seto! Seto! Big brother, where are you?"  the boy cried._

The man began running; sprinting, almost. _Mokuba_, he thought urgently. _I'm here, Mokuba. Don't worry. _He suddenly came upon a clearing; an area of open grassland, free of trees and bushes. The man panted heavily and glanced around. There was no sign of Mokuba or his captor. Suddenly noticing the clearing in front of him, he gasped and stepped hesitantly on the grass.

What Seto Kaiba felt was like nothing else he had ever felt before. The luscious grass was so soft and tender it was like stepping on feathers. Not a single blade was awry or out of line. Seto's heart pounded against his chest. He knelt down on his knee and grazed the grass with his fingertips. The touch was like the smoothest of silks, the most perfect of the perfect. 

Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared in the distance. At first, it seemed like the figure of a large, burly man swathed in black, but upon looking more carefully at it, Seto realized with shock that it was not a human being, but rather a Duel Monster; one he had never encountered before in all his previous duels. As the figure drew closer to Seto, it became bigger, taller, scarier. Cupped in its large arms was Mokuba.

"Who are you?!" Seto hissed. "What did you do to my brother?"

The Duel Monster did not stop walking until it had nearly reached Seto. Its gnarled face was shielded by a transparent green mask with red streaks running through the middle. It stood looking down at Seto with a glare in its eyes.

"I am a Duel Monster, Kaiba. I am the Ardent Skull. My master has orders for me." 

Kaiba nearly fell backwards at the Duel Monster's voice. These _things_ were not supposed to talk. They were not human; they were not real. They were supposedly holograms from the cards of the game Duel Monsters, created by Maximillius Pegasus. And now he had met a real, physical one who could speak and walk like a true human being; one who had done something to his brother.

"To do _what? _Who_ is your master?" Seto growled menacingly, recovering from his shock. He was still in disbelief, however, that this was truly a talking duel monster._

"To take your brother. His soul has been shattered."

Kaiba's felt his stomach hurdle at these words. He was suddenly filled with an unbearable amount of fear and hatred. His face flamed with heat.

"Seto Kaiba, Mokuba is far more than what you thought he was. His soul has been sacrificed to strengthen a Millennium Item. It has been shattered, as I have told you."

"Damn you! What have you done?" bellowed Seto, nearly lashing out at the Ardent Skull.

"Those were my orders."

"From whom?"

            _"That is none of your business, Kaiba. Goodbye." _

            "No! Tell me who your master is!"

            _"I cannot. I am sorry."_

"Why not? You're just a stupid ugly monster. You don't have a brain; you can't think. You better tell me who your master is, right now! I hate you, you know that? I _hate_ you!" Seto found his words rushing out of his mouth. He was talking nonsense, he knew, but he could not help it.

            "I am sorry. Now I must go."

            "No! Give me my brother back, you evil…_thing_. Go to hell! That's where you belong!" 

            Seto, realizing that his words did not have any effect on the Duel Monster, could not withhold the fury he was feeling deep down inside. It seemed to swell up within him, almost like water was gushing madly inside his body. Suddenly, he lunged, almost mechanically, at the Duel Monster. His mind and heart thumped. He thrashed his arms and legs out blindly, wildly, uncontrollably. His bare skin clashed with the Ardent Skull's resilient metal. 

            In shock from being attacked so vigorously by a weak human, the Duel Monster calmly turned around, swept out his armored leg, and dealt Seto with a terrifying blow to the chest. Seto was instantly thrown back onto the grass. He was unconscious before he hit the ground. 

            The Ardent Skull nudged Seto with his foot and tossed Mokuba's body onto the ground beside him. He stared into the foggy eyes of the two brothers, then chuckled hoarsely. He reached inside its armor and pulled out a golden rod. Grasping it tightly, there was a flash of gold, and he suddenly became a shorter, skinnier man, devoid of any armor. 

            "_Yes, Kaiba. I am the Ardent Skull!_ As if there was such thing," the man murmured in a squeaky voice, sniggering in between his words. "You foolish man. You are the champion of the world; well, except for that Yugi Motto." The man spat in disgust at the name. "And yet, you obviously do not know your Duel Monsters well. But… no matter…"

            Suddenly, Seto began to stir back into consciousness. His eyes fluttered open and he grunted in pain. He focused his eyes onto his surroundings. 

            The man studied him closely. "I see that you have awaken, Kaiba. Excellent. But, oh, I'm afraid I must part. Some unfinished business elsewhere, I believe. Well, I am deeply sorry for that horrible, horrible kick I gave you earlier. It was most uninviting, if I do say so myself…"

            Seto turned in the direction of the voice. He blinked his eyes and found himself staring at a tanned face with the brightest turquoise eyes he had ever seen. 

            "Who…are you?" he murmured.

            "It matters not. But just remember this, Kaiba, we _will_ meet again some day in the future, I guarantee it. But, for now…"

            The man's voice dropped to a soft whisper. 

            "Behold the powers of Marik Ishtar."

            With that, Seto found himself slipping into unconsciousness once again. 

so dya like it? ne suggestions? pleez review like now cuz I like gotta make it better nd stuff. fanx fury maach


	2. Memories

yay! chpt. 2 done! p.s. his memory that he has now was from the show. I stoled it. sry. neways pleez r + r and tell me wut u think. fanx. 

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_Dammit,_ Seto thought to himself. _Dammit._

Thoughts blurred together in his mind. Memories flooded back. He was lost and helpless in a cruel world. No one could help him this time, not when Mokuba was in the hands of a deranged man; not when getting him back involved dark forces that only the privileged owners of the Millennium Items could deal with; not when Mokuba's soul had been…_shattered_.

The word sent shudders through Seto's body. _Shattered._ What did it mean for one's soul to be shattered? Does it smash like a glass into a million pieces; does it explode like a bomb, its pieces spreading for miles around; or does it just die? What did it mean for Mokuba's soul to be sacrificed and strengthen a Millennium Item? What did all this mean?

 "Ugh!!" Seto bellowed. His voice echoed. He cared about nothing, now that Mokuba was gone. He was mad, furious, enraged with fire that burned his thoughts. He could not think straight. He could not see straight. Mokuba meant everything to him; he was like sunshine on a rainy day, a flower in the midst of weeds. The young boy with auburn hair splashed playfully on his head had been Seto's one source of love and comfort, ever since the brothers' parents had died years earlier.

 Seto sat stricken-faced on the rock he had been on all afternoon. His chest ached; maybe a few ribs were broken, but it was truly nothing compared to the horrendous agony he was feeling in his mind and his heart. He did not know what to do. He buried his head in his arms, but could not cry. He did not know what it meant to cry anymore. The tears would not flow. His eyes were dry. But how great it would feel to release his feelings, to finally _cry_ or…or be sad. Throughout the years, Seto had seen Mokuba cry in pain, in happiness…he had seen Yugi cry when he was inches from winning and lost. 

            _Yugi._

            The name came to Seto like a sudden bee sting. Yugi was like a constant, unrelenting pest, always annoying him to his limits. Seto had been so cruel and callous towards the boy, but could not swat him away. And Yugi had that strange Millennium Puzzle with that mysterious spirit within it.

            _Yugi could help._ _But no, that would be too embarrassing._ Seto wrestled with his thoughts. _I've refused his help constantly. I insulted him and acted like I was all that. Damn, he pissed me off._

And yet, Seto knew that Yugi was his only help. Yugi would be willing to, like he always was, even when Seto did not want it. His spirit would too, despite Seto's constant cruelty. After all, he was a…

Pharaoh.

            Seto suddenly halted in his thoughts as a memory trickled back into his mind… 

_It was a busy day at the office. Seto sat at his desk and argued with one of his workers on the phone._ _After an hour or so of constant debating, Seto got fed up in his efforts to persuade the worker, so he slammed the phone down. Just as he sat down, a hologram of a lady  appeared on his computer monitor._

            "Who the hell are you? How the hell did you get hooked up to my computer?" Kaiba yelled, still fuming from his earlier argument.

            "Kaiba, do not be angry, please. My name is Isis Ishtar. I have a little surprise waiting for you down at the museum. Come quick – I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

            "And why should I believe you?"

            "Kaiba, there's just a new exhibition here of ancient Egyptian artifacts. I promise, this is not a trap."

            "I'm busy. I don't have time to see some silly little artifacts."

            "Are you sure? Well, what if I promised you that I will offer you…let's just say, some very powerful Duel Monster cards; ones so rare that there is only one of each."

            Seto perked up. He furrowed his brows, trying to find any sign of slyness in the lady's face. Well, if she's lying, she's good at it,  thought Seto, as he prepared to go to the museum. He did not trust her completely, but gave in at the thought of leaving his hectic workplace.

            Half an hour later, Seto stepped out of his limousine and onto the grounds outside the museum. He shielded his eyes at the glaring sun and read a large banner attached to the front of the museum wall. It read "Brand-new exhibit! Explore the ancient ruins of the Egyptians. Featuring Duel Monsters – real and ancient! See the true history of the game." So it's true, thought Seto, sighing and stepping into the gigantic building.

            "Seto Kaiba, over here!" a voice called out. Seto turned his head and found himself staring at the Egyptian lady he had seen on his computer. He spotted at once a golden necklace with an eye in the center around her neck. He recognized it to be one of the Millennium Items, just like Yugi had.

            "Seto, the exhibit is downstairs. Follow me. You must see this." 

            Seto followed the lady. He was enthralled by her slender body and her soft steps. He knew he was silly for thinking those thoughts, but he could not prevent his raging hormones.

            Suddenly, Seto found himself surrounded by an array of stone tablets. He spun around and spotted Duel Monsters engraved onto them. He recognized a Black Skull Dragon attacking a Summoned Skull. He realized that these were the Ancient Egyptians explained in the banner.

            "You see, Kaiba, these are stone tablets engraved by the Egyptians. Come over here. I want to show you something."

            Seto walked over to a smaller tablet. He saw two men with Duel Monsters surrounding them. At closer look, he saw that one of the Monsters was a Dark Magician, and another one that was presumably fighting it was a Blue- Eyes White Dragon.

            "A Blue-Eyes? A Dark Magician? Who are these people?"

            "Take a look for yourself, Kaiba. Who do you see?"

            Seto squinted carefully. The person on the left looked like a young boy. His hair was spiked in an odd…and familiar way.

            "Yugi?"

            "Yes, and who else?"

            Seto looked closely once more. As he recognized the other man, he stood speechless.

            "It's you, Kaiba. You are the dark and evil force battling Yugi, the Pharoah."

            "But…no! That can't be! I'm not evil!" Seto tried to back away. 

            "Yes, history will repeat itself, Kaiba! Do not deny that that is you!"

            Seto snapped out of his reverie as he realized whom he had to turn to in order to save Mokuba. Isis Ishtar was perfect: she was kind and powerful, for she possessed the Millennium Necklace, an artifact allowing her to see into the past and future. And Seto could not help thinking back to her beauty…her natural beauty, how her curves were perfect and her eyes were stunningly beautiful.

            "Isis."

            The name trickled off Seto's tongue like silk. He smiled, for the first time all afternoon. He would not keep grieving. He would go get help and save Mokuba. He looked down at the ground and realized that the Ardent Skull had left Mokuba's body. He easily lifted it onto his shoulder, and though he flinched at the touch of the cold skin, walked back out of the forest.

            "Mokuba, I'm coming to get you. Hang in there, wherever you are. Big brother will be there."

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seto & isis!!! yay!!! don't worry I wont keep making seto think about her. I just wanted 2 spice it up.


	3. Love Blooms

erase wut I sed in the last chpt. I am gonna make this a kaiba saving mokuba fic w/ kaiba and isis romance in the background. just wondering…if u could review it and tell me whether u want me 2 add other characters like yugi and joey and backura and ppl like that…fanx

"Isis Ishtar speaking. How may I help you?"

Seto hesitated as he prepared to ask for Isis's help. He knew he would be a bit shy in meeting her; after all, he realized he had, like a boy with a crush, been somewhat enchanted by her attractiveness. He had not felt such emotions for years, not since his first crush, an absolutely gorgeous girl named Deliz. He still remembered her long, rich, black hair and her smooth, perfect face. Seto had loved the girl with all his heart, but she paid no mind. Eventually, she moved away when her "top-secret" father was called on a mission.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Oh, yes. This is Seto Kaiba…Isis. Do you remember me? You showed me that…um, Egyptian site, that's right."

"Kaiba! Yes, of course I remember. So how can I help you? Ready for another tour? Joking, joking."

Seto chuckled forcefully to use up the time. He wondered why she was being so friendly.

"Uh…no, not this time." Seto chuckled again, this time absentmindedly. He wanted to ask her to talk to him in person, so she could see him and understand his situation. He was afraid that is he poured it out on the phone, he would be overly emotional. He thought of going on a date, like catching a movie or getting a bite to eat, but she would most likely think of him differently.

            "Actually, Isis, I…need to talk to you, but I would definitely prefer it if it were in person, you know, so you'd…understand better." Kaiba cursed silently under his breath. He was making it sound awkward, like she was unable to understand him well enough.

            "Well, I mean…you know, it would just be…better if we talked in person. Face to face. Man to man." _Dammit!!_ Kaiba thought. _What the hell am I saying? _

            "Man to _woman_. Sorry…" Seto laughed. "I've been having a rough day. I mean, my brother…his soul, just so depressing…" He tried to sound tired.

            "Uh, yes, Kaiba, we can do that. Here, I'm free this afternoon. Why don't we meet…at the museum? There's a great new restaurant there called the Traquarian Deli. It serves excellent food."

            "Absolutely. I'll be there."

            "All right. How about at five?"

            "Great. See you then. Thanks for talking to me. I mean…" But Isis had already hung up.

             _Geezuz._ Seto dropped the phone onto the hook and leaned back in his leathery chair. What was wrong with him? He was the CEO of a powerful company. He gave public speeches daily, and now he couldn't talk clearly into the phone. But Isis would understand. She just seemed like a kind, caring, _understanding_ person. If Seto could at least keep a stern face and not stutter and blush whenever he was around her, everything could go well.

            Seto glanced at his desk: so neat and orderly, consisting of a laptop, a stack of paper, and two dictionaries. His eyes skimmed past an old picture of Mokuba playing on a playground. The young boy was climbing onto the top of a slide. He was always picture perfect, with his knee raised and his hand relaxed over it. His smile seemed to burst.

            Seto sighed. Mokuba was such a wonderful kid filled with potential to be more than Seto had ever dreamed of. He was smart and ambitious, kind and caring. It wasn't fair for Mokuba to have suffered through so much as a young boy: the death of their parents, getting adopted by a wild and cruel man, having his soul taken and stored into a card; and now this. Torture and hardships would kill his heart, like it did to Seto. 

            "Mr. Kaiba, someone is here to see you."

            Seto snapped out of his daydreaming and glared tiredly at the man standing over him.

            "Yes, let him in. Or her. Whatever."

            "And…he asked for some privacy, Mr. Kaiba…"

            Pause.

            "Why?"

            "I was not informed. He just told me he needed to speak with you ASAP. He didn't say much."

            "His name? What does he look like?"

            "He didn't tell me his name, but he had white hair and a dark face. Green eyes, too, I think."

            "All right, let him in here. Just tell everyone not to come in for a while."

            "Yes, sir."

            Seto's assistant left the room and shut the door behind him. Moments later, he led a man in.

            "Here he is. Shall I lock the door?"

            "Yes, please do so."

            Seto glanced at the man. He looked somewhat odd and familiar, as if Seto had met him somewhere in a dream…

            "How may I help you?" Seto asked politely to cover up his curiosity.

            The man chuckled in a shrill voice. 

            "Let's just say, Kaiba, that I am the Ardent Skull." 

            Seto shook his head in disbelief. He shook his head, as if trying to clear the words that he had just heard.

            "Excuse me? What did you say?"

            "The Ardent Skull, Kaiba. Me."

            Seto's memory began to grow sharper and more distinct. He remembered now, like a sharp pain, the man he had seen and heard while he was semi-conscious on the ground.

            "You…you were him, weren't you? You took my brother!"

            "Yes, Kaiba, that _would _be me. How intelligent of you. Miss him already, don't you? Well, I have him with me now. See – " The man pulled a long, golden rod out of his pocket. "He's in here, trapped amid an array of dark forces." 

            Seto eyed the rod suspiciously. He noticed that it had a golden eye engraved into it, just like Yugi's Puzzle.

            "I am willing to strike a deal with you. If you accept, I will consider allowing your brother out for free. You know, unharmed…"

            Seto refused to give in and seem like he was begging this man for mercy. He merely stood grimly.

            "No answer? Too bad…well, I guess I'd better be going now…"

            The man glanced at Seto, his eyes filled with playfulness and slyness. Finally, Seto could not withhold himself from giving in.

"No, wait. The deal. Just tell me what it is. Then get out."

"Doesn't take a lot to get to you, does it, Kaiba? Weak, insecure, not the type of man I'd expect to see as the CEO of a company." The man glanced around Seto's orderly office. "Nice place you have here. They must treat you well…"

"THE DEAL, GOD DAMMIT! THE DEAL!"

"Oh yes, that. Well, I have it all typed up, all neat and professional, on this." He took a small sheet of laminated paper out of his other pocket and handed it to Seto. "All written, everything you have to do."

"Give me time to think."

"Yes, of course. What kind of man would I be if I did not? Take all the time you need. Well, at least until next week. I will be back here around the same time to collect your answer. You better have decided, or else your brother will be just like…never mind, let's not go that far."

"Whatever. Now, get out."

"A bit imprudent, are we, Mr. Kaiba? I come in here ready to strike a deal, and you don't even say thank you? I spared your brother, did I not? I could have just turned him into fish bait and – "

"GET OUT! NOW!"

"Please, please, must we be so rude? I will go when I find it necessary…"

"GET OUT!"

"OK, Kaiba. I'm going. But remember, I will be back soon. Next week, you will have my answer."

"GO!"

The man stepped out and carefully shut the door behind him.

Seto sat back down at his desk, infuriated. He vigorously shook open the sheet of paper the man had given him. The first paragraph read:

I, MARIK ISHTAR HAVE YOUR BROTHER'S SOUL IN MY POSSESSION. WITH IT, I CAN RULE THE WORLD WITH THE POWER OF MY RARE HUNTERS AND MY MILLENNIUM ROD. HOWEVER, I WANT MORE THAN THAT. THAT'S WHERE YOU COME IN.

Seto cried out in frustration. He couldn't believe what he was reading. This lunatic wanted to rule the world, like in some super villain fantasy book. This Marik Ishtar was either deranged and crazy, or simply a fool. Either way, Seto knew that he now was dealing with a man who meant business; a man who was like another Maxmillius Pegasus, only ten times crazier.

y a y ! dat was pritty long tho. how dyu like it? pleez r+r! aren't seto + isis so cute 2gether?


	4. The Wave Falls

            Seto stepped carefully out of his luxurious limousine, using his hands to support the weight of his body. _Here goes_, he thought. He was about to meet Isis, as planned, at the new restaurant. He tried to sort out his feelings and emotions; to try to tell Isis exactly what was going on. His thoughts merely jumbled in his mind, as always. It seemed as if whenever he thought about one thing, another thing would keep racking his brain, preventing him from concentrating.

            "When should I pick you up? Or will you be quick?" asked Seto's chauffeur.

            "I'll probably need a few hours. I'll give you a call when I'm ready. Meanwhile, you can leave if you want."

            "Thank you, sir."

            Seto nodded. He walked away and went up the giant steps of the museum. Today seemed like an extremely busy day. There were people crowding around the entrance. No one seemed to be going in, in though the doors were wide open. He spotted a policewoman blocking everyone from going into the entrance. Something was going on…

            "Hey, watch it, you!"

            A tall man nearly collided into Seto. Drops of sweat glistened on the man's forehead.

            "What's going on?" asked Seto.

            "Some kind of accident, I reckon. My girlfriend and I've been waiting at the door for a half hour. Dang, it sure is hot today. Geez, I'm starting to sweat."

            "So do you know if the museum's still open? I mean, what kind of accident was it?"

            "I really don't know. Why don't you go check it out? If you can get through that mob, that is."

            "Ok. I appreciate your help."

            "Sure thing."

            Seto began walking through the crowd. People were deserting the museum. He knew he was out of place, carrying a briefcase and wearing a heavy suit on a 90ºF summer day. He heard ambulance sirens in the distance and saw a fire truck approach the museum. Before he could get anywhere near the museum entrance to see what was going on, he was stopped by the policewoman.

            "Sir, please leave."

            "Why? What happened?"

            "An accident has occurred. The police need space and freedom to investigate. We were asked to block anyone from coming in."

            "What kind of accident? I know it's none of my business, but I was supposed to meet someone who works at the museum."

            "Sir, I'm sorry, but you need to turn around and leave. I don't have time."

            Just then, an Egyptian lady walked out from inside the museum.

            "Isis?" Seto whispered. Isis looked so different: her hair was tied back and highlighted, her makeup was different. Even her clothes, a red top and a white skirt, made a difference. She looked so_ casual_.

            "Kaiba! Nice to see you again." She turned to the policewoman. "He's with me. It's OK."

            "Whatever." The policewoman rolled her eyes and began yelling at other tourists trying to get in.

            "So Kaiba, how are you? Long time no see!"

            "I'm fine, thanks. Well, not entirely. But we can talk about that later. So what exactly happened? Some kind of accident?"

            The two began walking side by side to the restaurant.

            "Oh, geez. Accident? It was no accident. It was an assault. Here, we'll talk about in my office. I don't think the deli's going to be open right now."

            "Sure. By the way, nice hair. You look so different. It's like…last time, you were an Egyptian goddess with superpowers, and now you're a sexy museum guide."

            Isis began giggling.

            "I did not just say that." Seto blushed.

            "You crack me up, Kaiba. Well, let's see. Last time, you were an unimaginative, power-craving CEO who found his dark side, and now, you're a CEO who found his hormones."

            "Haha. Very funny."

            "Thank you. Well, here we are. My office."

            Seto found himself in a small but cozy room. There were stone tablets on the walls and a fireplace in the corner. Every inch of the wall was covered with some kind of picture, some kind of design. He gaped at the contrast between this office and his super-neat, super-plain office. 

            "Nice place. Even a fireplace, huh?"

            "Yes, I'm one of the lucky ones."

            "So tell me about the accident. Assault. Whatever."

            "Do you really want to know?"

            "Yes. Is it that bad? Did someone die?"

            "Actually, yes. One of our visitors. A tourist by the name of Derrick E. Brite. A man brainwashed him and made him kill himself."

            "Brainwashed? What do you mean?"

            "Powers. Egyptian powers. Millennium Item powers. Powers indescribable. If you see what I mean."

            "So the "assaulter" had a Millennium Item?"

            "Yes."

            "Do you know him? I mean, I'm confused. How do you know so much?"

            "_I _ know everything. Whether or not _they_ will know everything, well, it's their problem.

            "Who's they?"

            "Police. Investigators. Museum owners. _My boss_."

            "And you're not going to tell them?"  
            "No."

            Seto stared at Isis. What was she up to? What was she hiding?

            "Isis, I'm listening. Spill it out."  
            Isis shook her head and smiled. 

            "You really want to get involved with everything, huh? Well, maybe not this time. Because I will stop you."

            "I'm listening."

            "All right. Let's just say that I know who killed Derrick E. Brite. Personally. He's powerful beyond me, beyond you…beyond Yugi, even. Well, maybe not, but whatever. I know why he killed Derrick. I know everything."

            "Stop being so…abstract. I want details. Specifics. If not that, at least tell me what you're talking about."

            "Do you want the assaulter's name?

            "Yes."

            "Marik Ishtar."  
            Seto's heart stopped beating for a second. He knew where he had just seen that name: on the slip Mokuba's captor had given him. 

            "What…" Isis took notice of his shock.

            "Marik Ishtar? I…know him. In a way."

            "How?" Isis was obviously confused and suspicious.

            "He – that's what I came to talk to you about today. You see, a few weeks ago…gee, how am I going to put this? Well, basically, someone by the name of Marik Ishtar shattered my brother's soul. Well, that's what he said. It's weird, I'm still puzzling over it, but the man came to visit me. He gave me this slip of paper. One sec." Seto fumbled in his briefcase for the slip of paper.

            "See?" Seto handed it to Isis.

            "Oh my god. You've got to be kidding."

            "No, I'm not. I came to ask for your help. Marik said he had trapped Mokuba's soul in his Millennium Rod, and seeing how you have the Millennium Necklace, I came to ask you for help."

            "No, I can't. Kaiba, sorry, I can't do this. I can't. I think you should go."

            "No! I want my brother back. And why are you being so…I don't know…weird? How do you know all this? What do you know about Marik?"

            "God, you son of a bitch. Get out of my office."

            "Isis! I need help. Why are you acting this way?"

            Isis looked up into the concerned eyes of Seto. She shook her head.

            "Do you know who I am?"

            "Yes, I think. You're Isis, the woman I talked to a year ago about the past."

            "Anything else?"

            "You're beautiful. You have a Millennium Item."

            "You don't know me at all, do you? Did you know that a thousand years ago, my brother and I used to be…the keepers of the graves of the Pharaohs? That my brother turned evil and wanted the soul of the Pharaoh? That he wanted the Millennium Items?"

            "No, I didn't. Was I supposed to know?"

            "Marik is my brother, you fool."

            "What…?"

            "My brother has your brother. That's why I can't help you. Damn, I'm a fool. I told you so much. And you better not go around telling the police and trying to get him. He's too powerful. His Rod…it brainwashes people. He can control anyone's mind. He can make you kill yourself if he wants."

            Seto was speechless. He sat there with a dazed look in his eyes. He couldn't believe it. The one person who could possibly help him had a brother who was his enemy. How would he ever get Mokuba back now?


	5. Siblings

A/N: this chapter might sound really wrong cuz I don't know anything about Isis and Marik. Like do they ever see each other seeing how they're siblings? Did/do they guard the God cards or like the Pharaoh's grave or whatever? If I've got facts wrong, pleez tell me!!! 

Mokuba was trapped in an array of flames. He felt the fire lick his bare skin and cried out in pain. He felt like he was trapped in an airless bubble; he could barely suck enough air into his tiny lungs to feel normal. His eyes began to blur and he felt very lightheaded, as if he were about to pass out. It was torture.

            "It's OK, my little Mokuba," sneered Marik in an extremely snobbish voice. He petted his Millennium Rod like a puppy and stared at Mokuba, running frantically in the ball of the Rod, now as tiny as a paperclip. Marik now had Mokuba's soul in his possession and had used his ancient powers to reconstruct a miniature duplicate of Mokuba's body. Today, he wanted to expose the young Kaiba brother to some painful torture, as he thought of it.

            "This is called torture, Mokuba. It hurts, doesn't it? Hurts like crazy, like your lungs are being ripped out. Well, that's how powerful and uncontrollable my desire for power is. I want to rule the world. I want the power of the seven Millennium Items, a power beyond what the Pharaoh had." He snickered. "I want to be as big as a mountain, look over all the little people and be able to look at them, knowing that I rule them. You hurt right now, don't you? Well, that's how I feel. I need power. Without it, it's like my lungs and heart are being sliced open and having their blood drained from them. Ugh, how visual."

            Suddenly, Mokuba's eyes rolled over and he toppled in the Rod's ball. Marik looked at the boy's body in disgust and mock sadness. He shook his Rod a bit, bouncing Mokuba back and forth. "Whoops, there goes another one. Sorry I keep bouncing you around in there. I hope you don't get too many bruises. Anyway, back to my desire for power. I need power, like you need to breathe. I want to rule the world. I NEED POWER!" Marik, caught up in his frenzy, accidentally dropped his Rod, causing Mokuba's fragile body to bang forcefully against the edge of it. "Did that hurt, my little one? Oh, daddy Marik is deeply sorry." Mokuba's nose began spurting out blood. 

            "Yugi," Marik continued. "Now there's a distasteful name. That boy…he's got a mind and a body as weak as a lamb…but that damn spirit of his. The Pharaoh. _I_ was supposed to guard his soul. For a thousand years, _I_ was trying to steal it and get power beyond power. But no. Yugi got it. He will pay. I will get revenge." Marik did not notice one of his Rare Hunters walking up to him.

            "Sir," spoke the Rare Hunter. "Your sister is here to speak with you."

            Marik jumped in shock. He then took into account the Rare Hunter's words. "My sister? Isis? In the Shadow Realm?"

            "Yes, she just came. She said it was urgent."

            "Tell her to come in. Hah, my sister. Coming to visit…me?"

            A moment later, Isis walked into Marik's chamber. The first thing either of them caught sight of was the other's Millennium Item. Marik's eyes widened at the golden beauty of his sister's Necklace. Isis, on the other hand, paid no attention to his Rod and, when she found her brother staring at her necklace, raised her eyebrow in disbelief that he was still the power-craving brother she had always known.

            "How goes it, my dear sister?" he asked, recovering.

            "Not so well." There was a pause as Isis thought up her next words_._ "What did you do, Marik? To Kaiba's brother?"

            Marik's previous pleasantness turned sour as he scrunched up his face in perplexity. 

            "How do you know about this?" he barked.

            "Kaiba came to see me. _For help_. He wanted me to help him get his brother back."

            "And why did he go to you? How does he know you?"

            Isis's face went blank as she realized the true answer of that question. As memories trickled back into her mind, she realized that Kaiba wanted her help because she had offered him so much the last time they had met. She had given him one of the three God cards and showed him into the past to aid his future. 

            "Well, what's your answer?"

            Isis could only lie. "I work at a museum. The Ancient Egypt section, actually. He came to the museum one day and I showed him…the tablets."

            "You lie. Why would he ask a museum guide for help?"

            Isis stepped back in fear that her brother was going to strike her or do something crazy.

            "I guess he saw my Millennium Necklace. He knows Yugi has an Item, does he not? He knows how much power it provides, so – "

            "I'm going to ask you one more time!" Marik's temper was on the edge of exploding. "What did you tell him? What did you do for him?"

            "Nothing!" Isis's eyes widened in horror.

            "Well then, you better not help him! This is between him and I, you hear? Don't you go meddling in other people's business. If you do…never mind."

            Isis, relieved that her brother's anger had subsided, thought of the best way to put the many questions she wanted to ask him. She had to know exactly what Marik had done and why. She had to get the facts straight before she left.

            "Brother…what exactly did you do to the boy?" she asked in the sweetest, softest, most polite voice she could muster.

            Marik's eyes shot up and stared into Isis's. "That is my business, sister. I don't want you to help that man. I could, and probably would, kill you for it."

            Isis furrowed her eyebrows and continued to stare at her brother. He seemed calm like never before. Was this the side of him she had always craved for? All their lives, she had been beaten and berated with derogatory comments from her lunatic brother. She'd always wanted someone who could provide her with a sense of security, someone who she could dare to sit next to and have a quiet conversation with.

            "What are you still doing here? You got all the information you're going to get out of me."

            Isis could only stand rooted to the ground. Her brother was actually not screaming at her to get out. He was calmly talking to her. She decided to take another step towards him. 

            "If you're not going to tell me what you did to the boy, at least tell me why. What is your purpose? Your plan?"

            "So you can go help that man? Why don't you go! I'm busy!"

            Realizing Marik's attitude could not be changed, she took another approach. 

            "Why do you have to be so evil? You used to be a good little boy - "

            "Do not talk to me about that! You've made me mad all my damn life. Never have you taken a risk, never have you dared to go on an adventure. I wanted to be someone great, someone who had power! And I'm doing fine, so don't you come in here and tell me about the past! I hate the past! The present and the future is all I care about!"

            "But you used to be good! You sure as hell aren't going to get anywhere in life with that attitude of yours! Why did you have to turn to the evil side, brother? Why?"

            Marik panted hard. He took deep breaths to control himself.

            "Why do you care? You've ignored me ever since the Items were released, and – "

            "But that's because you made me so mad! You made fun of me and you even hit me for the fun of it! I hated you! I – " Isis was on the brim of tears.   

            "And I HATED YOU!!" With a sweep of his legs, Marik took three giant steps and was out of his chamber before Isis could respond. She was left all alone in the dark and mysterious room. She sobbed uncontrollably, but remembered that many decades ago, she had once sworn never to cry because of her brother's meanness. She certainly would not break that promise now.

            Isis glanced around the room. It was dusty and mystifying, as if there were strange presences hovering in the air. Something moved in the corner of the room. Isis heard a noise. She spotted a small ball that had obviously moved a few inches. Puzzled, she walked cautiously towards it.

            "What in the world…?"

            There was a small boy inside the ball. Wide-eyed, the boy stared longingly at Isis, his eyes watering. There were small spots of blood on his face and body. Isis instantly knew who this was. She could see the resemblance between Kaiba and this boy.

            But then, as she reached her hand out, she knew she couldn't take the boy and give him back to Kaiba. Her heart thumped; her throat contracted oddly as she was faced with a crucial decision. She realized she did not have the heart to do what was right. Marik would kill her, or maybe he would just torture her for eternity. He would definitely kill Kaiba, somehow, if he got his brother back. At the thought of this, Isis quickly looked away and stood up.

            "So, sister, you've seen the boy, eh?"

            Isis froze. She felt like she had just been caught in the middle of a crime. 

            "And yet, you somehow don't have the heart to take him. I see you're not all good, then? I mean, he was right there, was he not? You could've could taken him and be done with your task."

            Isis only smiled and nodded in a defeated motion. She had thought that after screaming in each other's faces for so long, he'd at least have thought about her words and come out…different. But he was still the same. He would never change.

            "No, you know what, I really don't have the heart. It's been nice talking to you though, brother. I see you've got yourself a prisoner and a whole world of haters. We shall meet again, soon, hopefully."

            She walked out. For the first time in an eternity, she felt defeated. She was right in between the deadly conflict between two men: one, his hated brother, and the other, a man who obviously had affections for her. She did not want to be in that position. She wanted to live a normal life. She knew she was blessed to have her Necklace and to have a history so closely associated with important events of the past. But sometimes, it was too much. Sometimes, she didn't want to take it any longer. She longed to live in the old days, when her she and her brother were young and callow. Her brother was as sweet and kind and cute as one could ask for. 

            Isis had a memory…

_It was a bright, sunny day out on the playgrounds. Young Isis and Marik were playing gleefully with a bunch of their friends. It was scorching hot, but the kids barely noticed the extremely high temperatures while they were having the time of their lives. Isis's favorite place to be in the playground was on the swings. Sometimes, she longed to be a bird and soar up into the sky. On the swings, she could somehow close her eyes and imagine what it would be like to be a bird. _

"Isis! Isis! Look at me!" Marik shouted across the playground. He was fooling around with a group of his friends on the slide. "Watch! I can slide down backwards!" He did indeed, and by doing so, toppled over the other boys' heads. Collapsing onto the dirt, he giggled deliriously.

_Isis giggled too. Her brother was hilarious, at times. He'd do crazy things just to impress her and make her laugh. That was one thing she loved about him. As if in return, Isis decided to show off some of her skills and please her brother._

_"Marik! Look what I can do!"_

_Isis began swinging. She grunted in the effort. Up, down, and back up she went. She pumped her legs back and forth, trying to get the maximum air. She grew dizzy and closed her eyes as she realized how high she was getting. Suddenly, one of her hands slipped. The slide began tilting uncontrollably this way and that. Isis screamed. She was scared as the ground rolled over under her. In a flash, she dropped. It wasn't too far since she was only a few feet from the ground when it happened, but she began sobbing with shock. Her arm ached where she had fallen on it. Tears rolled down her cheeks. _

_Only a moment after it happened, Marik was there, helping her up. He looked at her with concern in his eyes. He wasn't smiling, but Isis knew it was going to be OK. Her brother took her in his arms and hugged her fiercely. He rested her chin on top of her head and rocked her back and forth. In an instant, Isis was OK. She embarrassingly rubbed away her tears and laughed at what happened._

_"See, Marik? I went up so high! All da way till da sky!" The two siblings giggled in each other's arms._

Isis sighed with joy and remorse. This was the brother she had once had. But it was so long ago. It seemed as if with the draw of the curtains, Marik was transformed into such an evil and disgusting man. He was the opposite of good, the opposite of kindness, of care, of love. It seemed as if in a flash, the good Marik was just a memory, and was gone forever.


	6. Into a Trap

Seto dropped the phone carelessly onto its hook. Seeing how his eyes weren't even open, the phone only bounced off and landed sideways on his table.

            "Er, Mr. Kaiba, your phone…"

            "WHO CARES?!"

            Seto's assistant, his face aghast that his boss was calm five minutes ago and now had an explosive temper, gently placed the phone back on its hook and walked out, muttering about "temper-control."

            "_Ok, ok, I'm calm_." Seto whispered to himself. But it was tough to be calm when so much was going on. Isis had kicked him out of her office and now, she was never there. Or maybe she was; she just didn't want to answer his phone calls.

            _Guess everyone has a sensitive side, huh?_ he thought with a creased smile on his face. He still couldn't dare to believe that this lunatic Marik was Isis's _brother_. Not just cousin or ancestor or something like that, but _brother._ That meant they most likely grew up together, which explains why both of them had a Millennium Item when there were only seven in the whole world.

            _So then, what's it today? No Isis, so who else?_ Seto continued in his thoughts.

            "Er, Mr. Kaiba, here's the coffee you asked for. Would you like some milk or cream with it? Sugar, maybe? Er, are you alright?" the assistant asked, noting the fact the Seto seemed to be muttering to himself and making strange hand motions.

            "No, sir, I am not."

            The assistant raised an eyebrow and stared at the baggy-eyed Seto. His boss had just called him "sir", while normally he treated him like he didn't exist.

            "So, sugar? Cream? Milk?" Maybe today Mr. Kaiba would give him a raise if he was extra helpful.

            But Seto only continued to stare blankly at the assistant.

            "I am trying to contain my anger, sir." He placed his elbows on the table and his chin on his hands and spoke in a very slow and firm manner. "Since you asked, I've been having some problems and therefore, am not alright. I am not in the mood for being asked silly questions like what I want in my coffee. Please leave the cup here and I will handle it on my own, like I have for the past seventeen years. Thank you. And oh yes. Will you close the door on your way out? Thank you." He smiled. Somewhat.

            _So. Back to my thoughts. I can't ask Isis anymore, but I can ask…Yugi. No, not Yugi. How about…oh, who am I kidding? I have to ask Yugi. He's my only chance."_ Seto fumbled with his hands. His palms were sweating. He decided that he must, despite his endless dread and hatred toward Yugi, that he truly had to confront his worst fears and ask Yugi for help. He shuddered at the utter thought of that.

            _Wait a second_, he realized. _What fears? Why did I just think "fears"? I'm not scared of Yugi. Not, I can't be. That would be insane!_

And yet Seto Kaiba understood that Yugi Mouto was his last chance to reclaim his brother from the hands of a deranged man. Yugi would help; he was always helpful, especially when Seto wanted it the least. Plus, Yami was the spirit of the Phoarah; he had power equal, if not more, than Marik. If only Seto could overcome his pride and arrogance. If only he could stop considering Yugi a little kid who was not good enough for him.

            Seto sat down, and again placed his head in his arms. This was too much. He quickly straightened up and placed his hand on the phone. Slowly, ever so slowly, he grasped it and lifted it up to his ear. He scanned his speed dial list. Yugi was number twelve. He pressed it, as if with difficulty, for the phone hook seemed to attract his hand and the phone like a magnet…if only he could hang up, the pain in his gut would cease…

            "Hello?" answered a gruff but friendly voice.

            "Yes, good morning. Is Yugi there?" Seto replied uncertainly; he figured that this must be the grandpa Yugi had been so intent on saving from Pegasus.

            "I'll go get him. May I ask who this is?"

            Seto was about to say "yes, you may," but decided against it. His main goal was to be as friendly and polite as possible.

            "This is Seto Kaiba. I don't believe we've met, but you're Yugi's grandfather, correct?"

            "Yes I am. Er, one second. I think Yugi's upstairs with his friends. So, you're Seto Kaiba…?"

            "Yes. CEO of Kaiba Corp. as you can tell by the name."

            "Oh, how nice… well, here's Yugi."

            Seto heard a muffling sound as Yugi got on the line.

            "Hello?"

            "Yugi. This is Seto Kaiba."

            "Oh. Hi…"

            "Yes, well, I need some help. Preferably from the spirit. Your spirit. Inside your Millennium Puzzle."

            "Oh...ok. What do you need help for? If it's not too confidential, of course."

            "Let's see…could I have a word with…your spirit? I think he could help me out of this one more than you can, seeing how…"

            "Yes, I understand… er, one sec."

            Seto sighed and listened to the other end of the phone, straining to hear the voices. All he made out, however, were noises.

            "Hello, Kaiba," a deeper, more manly voice spoke through the phone. "How may I help you?"

            "Let me put it quickly. A man named Marik Ishtar used his Millennium Rod to take my brother's soul."

            There was a brief pause.

            "Marik Ishtar, you say?"

            "Yes…"

            "Yugi and I have come face to face with him quite a few times. His Rod, it brainwashes people…he took complete control of several people who tried to duel us. And you say he took your brother's soul?"

            "By the looks of it, yes."

            "Does his Rod have the power? I did not know, if it does…"

            "I don't know. I tried to talk to a woman named Isis who I'd met before…turns out she's his brother, though they're complete opposites. She explained a few things, but I never really understood my situation. I think he's got Mokuba, my brother, of course, inside his Rod. I was just wondering if you were willing to help. You've got the Millennium Puzzle, and he's got the Rod. I'm just a normal man without powers or anything like that…"

            "I am willing to. I believe Yugi is, also."

            "Thank you. But…what's your name? What can I call you?"

            "Yami. I must go now. Yugi and his friends have some…business."

            "Alright. But…when can we meet? Or talk again?"

            "Do you know where that is Miperg Ave. is? Meet me there, if you can."

            Seto scribbled the street name down, perplexed at why Yami wanted to meet him on a street.

            "Yes, I mean no, I don't, but I'll find out."

            "There's a bar there called 'Swilly.' It's on that street. I'll be waiting out in front of it at seven tomorrow night. I was going to go there anyway; you might as well come along. I really must go now. Goodbye."

            "So, Miperg, how do you… hello? Hello?!"

            Seto dropped the phone onto its hook once again. His assistant popped his head in at the same exact moment.

            "Get out," Seto muttered.

            The assistant nodded and left.

            "Wait, wait. Come back in."

            The assistant cautiously opened the door again and stepped in.

            "When was the first time you went to a bar?"

            The assistant seemed scared and confused, as if he didn't know whether he was falling into a trap.

            "Probably when I was nineteen or so."

            "Why did you go?"

            "I don't understand…"

            "Did you go for fun, to drink, or what?"

            "To have some fun."

            "Ok, you can leave now."

            The assistant stepped out once again.

            Seto stood up and paced down the width of his office. Little did he know that the person he had just spoken to was not Yugi…

            ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Meanwhile, Marik and a group of his Rare Hunters sat at their usual table. Marik was laughing hysterically. The Rare Hunters merely watched the television screen, where Kaiba was pacing back and forth in his office. 

            "I got Kaiba good this time. He fell right into our little trap. He really thought you were Yugi." Marik patted the Rare Hunter sitting closest to him on the back. "Nice Yami impression, too." He patted another one on his back. The Rare Hunters still did not laugh or talk. They all knew that Marik was drunk.

            "I am the greatest man of all time. I will rule the world! I'm sly and deceptive, aren't I? Just went into little Kaiba's office and gave him some bullshit piece of paper. Bet he fell for it, too, huh? Then I planted a video camera on his desk, a super-small one, too. And then I changed the speed dial on his phone to our number. We'll get him, won't we? We've already called Yugi as Kaiba. Now, Yugi and Kaiba _will_ meet, thinking they were supposed to. And we'll get them both! I will rightfully take the Millennium Puzzle and claim what's mine!!" He continued cackling and snorting.

**************************************************

muhahahahahaha…isn't marik so evil…I mean he put yugi and kaiba in a rele big bad trap…muhahahahahahahaha

anywayz…sorry I took so long on that chapter… I was working on my harrypotter fic (which u should read!) and I had camp and all that good crap.

thanks guyz for reviewing this story…

blkdrgn: geez you're so formal and all, but hey, I like your tips and your thoughts and stuff…gives me stuff to think about…thx a lot!

DragonicOne: u rele think it was incredibly good? why thank you very much!

Malik Fan: first of all, your stories seriously rock! sry I kinda took long to update but here it is hope u read it 

InsanityEternal: uh…yaoi? sry but I get sick thinking/reading/writing about that stuff…anyway, thanx for reviewing…

don't have a signin name: er…Egyptian curses?? ahhhh!!!!! oh yeah, I updated. won't die now!

celes: yup seto shore iz cute! thnx for reviewing 

destiny's angel: yeh, I no its sorta out of character haven't watched the show in a long time…hope I can get it better…thanx for reviewing

dobby: I MISS YOU!!!!!!

Neoroadkill: well dude mariks like one of my fav. characters and I luv how hes all insane and all so yeh hes evil aint he

if I left u out sry very much…cya 


	7. Jets of Golden Light

It was a damp and humid day as Seto walked towards Miperg Ave. He had found it on a map; a tiny street seemingly in the middle of nowhere. He was growing suspicious by the minute. Why would Yugi want to meet him on such a street in front of a bar? It didn't seem right, but why would Yugi lead him into a trap? He checked the street signs; he was still on Zamia Dr. Three blocks later, he found himself standing below a dusty, worn-away street sign that read "Miperg. Ave." 

Seto glanced down the street. It appeared deserted. There were a few buildings by the sidewalk that looked like they hadn't been used for decades. _Swilly_, Seto thought. _Where is it?_ Soon enough, he spotted a building with "S illy" painted in bright red letters. The "w" had been worn away and some of the other letters had small chunks missing. Seto walked cautiously up to the building. It did not even have an "open" or "closed" sign. From the looks of it, this "bar" had not been in use for years. The windows were strewn with dust and there was no light on inside. Seto peered into it, trying to avoid his reflection. He spotted a few overturned chairs and glass scattered all around.

Seto's heart began to thump loudly. This was not like Yugi. Some was awry. Seto backed against the wall of Swilly, peering around in all directions. He was nervous. This was not right… Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a tall figure walking down the street. He recognized the figure's hair. It was Yugi's spirit. Seto's anger flared. He hated Yugi, hated Yami. Why had they led him to such a despicable, _creepy_ place?

"Yami! Why the hell did you ask to meet me here? This is…" he shouted furiously, struggling to find the right words.

Yami did not respond. Instead, he continued walking toward Seto. As he drew nearer, Seto realized there was a look of confusion on his face.

"Oh, come on, this place is scary. And Swilly, it's deserted. This whole street is deserted!" Seto continued shouting.

"What are you talking about?" asked Yami, obviously perplexed. "You…asked me to meet you here. I'm the one who should be saying that!"

Seto squinted his eyes. He wasn't even sure that this was Yami.

"Who are you?" he whispered, shaking his head. "If…if you're really Yami, then over the phone, _you_ told me to meet me in front of Swilly on Miperg Ave. So don't – "

"Wait a minute, Kaiba. I did not. You called me, told me about your problem, and asked me to meet you here. Listen, this is serious. If you're joking, please don't. I'm getting worried…"

A sudden realization came to Seto. He was growing more nervous by the second. It was like a jolt of electricity had hit him. He stood rooted to the ground and stared nervously at Yami. He knew that this spirit was not kidding. He also had a look of nervousness on his face.

"I swear, you told me. Unless…someone… set… us… up…"

As if an answer to his Seto's question, a jet of golden light struck the ground next to Yami. Yami jumped. Seto screamed, "Ruuuuuun!!" and both took off. Seto heard a cackling laugh behind him but did not dare to look back.

But as Yami was about to veer onto Zamia St., a group of hooded men suddenly stepped into the way. Yami was forced to stop. He nearly skidded into one of the men. Seto jogged next to him, panting.

"Rare hunters," said Yami, calmly.

"What?" asked Seto, staring between the relaxed face of Yami and the expressionless faces of the hooded men.

"These are Rare Hunters. We were set up."

One of the Rare Hunters spoke. His voice was eerie. 

"Correct, Yugi."

Then, another voice spoke. Seto realized it was the voice of man who had caused all this trouble. He whipped around, his anger boiling, causing his fingers to ball into fists.

"Thank you…I'll take it from here," muttered Marik. "So, my friends, how do you do?" Marik glanced between Seto and Yami.

"Marik," hissed Yami. Seto could tell that his anger was also on the verge of exploding. "So you set us up. What do you want?"

"Hmmm…" Marik answered with a smirk. "From you, Yugi, I want the Millennium Puzzle. And from you, Kaiba, well, I have your brother. His soul has strengthened my Rod so much. I will now use it to get the Millennium Puzzle…" Marik spun around and yanked out his Millennium Rod from under his robes. He thrust it in front of Yami, and again, a jet of red light spewed out. Yami's face suddenly went blank. His eyes oddly resembled Marik's. When Marik spoke, so did Yami, but in a contorted voice.

"This is the just the beginning," Marik cried out. Yami's voice followed in an echo. "I will soon rule the world. I have successfully controlled Yugi's mind, and my Rare hunters will challenge him to a duel, in which he will lose, because _I_ control him."

But then, Yami's face began to show signs of struggle. His Millennium Puzzle emitted a bright light. Marik noticed this and began shouting crazily.

"No! No one can defy the ultimate power of my Rod! Strengthen, strengthen…" Marik was grasping his Rod and his eyes were closed.

Seto panted as his eyes went from Marik to Yami, and back. He lunged, as he did the Ardent Skull, and struck out blindly, punching Marik's head. Marik, taken aback, struggled for air and kicked Seto wildly. The two fell to the ground in a heap, Marik on top of Seto.

"Kaiba…" cried out Yami as he tried to fight off the Rod's power. "His Rod…"

Seto looked up at the golden Rod that Marik was grasping, struggling to push down toward his body. He saw with horror that it had become a dagger, and was inches away from his chest. He made a grasp for its handle as he tried to keep it away. 

"Kaiba!! NO!!!!!" Yami screamed, diving at Seto. But it was too late. Seto had curled his hand around the dagger's handle. Spurts of golden light filled the air around him, striking his body in a million different places. He yelped in agony and his eyes brimmed with tears of pain. He looked up into the shocked face of Yami.

"Kaiba…" whispered Yami. 

Then everything went black. Seto's face rolled to one side. His mouth hung open.

*~*~*~*~*~

DxDevlin: Ok…that was kind of weird. BUT Seto isn't dead, ok? That would be really stupid. Next chapter…Seto and Isis together, and Isis changes her mind about not helping Seto because she has a good heart. YAY!!!!

Marik: Why couldn't you let me kill Kaiba once and for all??

DxDevlin: Oh god, please don't hurt me!!

Marik: *takes out his Rod/dagger*

DxDevlin: NOOOOO!!!!!

Marik: What a wuss you are… I'm never going to kill you cause I have to see Seto die….duh!

DxDevlin: *pants* Oh, well, in that case, remember to review……


	8. Alive

_I'm alive, _Seto thought as he blinked his eyes open. He was lying in a hospital wing. The stench of medicine and blood reached his nose, causing him to gag. He looked around the large room and realized he was not alone. There were at least three other patients, all lying on their separate beds. Seto sighed and recalled what had happened. What _had_ happened?

"He's awake," he heard someone whisper. Seto glanced around and saw a young nurse and a doctor, both looking at him. The doctor quickly strode over to Seto's bed and sat down in a nearby chair.

"How do you feel, Mr. Kaiba?" he asked in a very professional manner.

"I'm fine. I think. What happened?"

"We're not sure yet. It appears that a young man by the name of Yugi Mouto carried you here on his bike. He explained that you had been attacked by a mob, but by the looks of it, your injuries are all internal and being "attacked," as in forcefully, could not have created them."

"Is he here? Yugi?"

The doctor turned back to look at the nurse. He beckoned her over.

"Did Yugi leave?"

"Yes, a few hours ago," she confirmed.

The doctor began examining Seto while he talked.

"You have been in a coma for seven days, Mr. Kaiba." He took a light and shined it into Seto's eyes. "Your injuries, as I said, are all internal. We took an X-ray of your internal organs a few days back and found that there were a several microscopic holes punctured into your heart and lungs. Your hand, as you can see," he pointed to Seto's right hand, which Seto realized was heavily bandaged, "received the most damage. Two of the tendons have been torn and dislocated. Three bones have been broken, one in two places."  The doctor then began to fill several needles with clear liquids.

"Is it bad?" Seto asked, though he knew the answer.

The doctor sighed. "Not extremely bad. _You_ seem Ok. It's just that we don't know the source of your injuries or exactly what they will do to your body. However, you may be of help if you told us exactly what happened. Are you up for it?"

Seto stared up at the ceiling. He could not tell the truth_. He's too powerful. His Rod…it brainwashes people. He can control anyone's mind. He can make you kill yourself if he wants,_ Isis had said about Marik. Seto did not doubt for one second that Isis had been telling the truth.

"No, not today. I'm a bit tired." But when? Seto could be kept in this hospital forever if he did not tell. Marik's Millennium Rod was powerful beyond anything people had dreamt of, Seto realized. What if somehow, it had paralyzed Seto? What if he was permanently injured? What if… 

"Am I Ok? How long will I have to stay here?" he asked suddenly.

"As long as it takes for us to find out what happened and how fit you are."

_Great_, he thought. _That'll happen soon…_

"Mr. Kaiba, you have a visitor," called out another lady who had just opened the door.

"Let him in," he answered automatically, as he always did when his assistant said those exact words at Kaiba Corp. He desperately hoped that it was not Marik. 

"_Her_," the lady corrected. She nodded towards someone standing outside the door. A moment later, Isis walked in. Seto felt his heart skip a beat. He sat up in his bed.

"Hi." he said awkwardly.

"Hi," she replied, even more awkwardly. "Er…listen, I'm sorry about – "

"No, no, it's not your fault," he interrupted. The last thing he wanted to hear was an apology. He always felt uncomfortable when people spilled their hearts out to him.

"Yes, it is, I just got carried away. And look where it landed you…"

"No, he's your brother. I would've done the same thing..."

Isis looked away. "But…I was wrong. I know he's evil. I just didn't want to get hurt again, so I made you leave. Sometimes I'm just scared of him…" she laughed.

"He used to beat me and insult me. I didn't know how to fight him, so I began to ignore him. I guess that made him even crazier…"

Seto gazed into her smooth, brown eyes. They were now watering. "No, it's ok. I understand."

"Yugi told me what happened," she continued. "That jerk. I can't believe he would try to kill you…"

"So…do you know what happened? Why did his Rod start…attacking me when I touched it?"

"Well, it's Marik's way of making sure no one steals it. He did it a while ago; didn't tell me how, but that's what I know."

"Wonder when I'm going to get out of this place… I hate the smell. Do you smell that? It's like blood and guts." Seto scrunched up his nose.

"Too bad for you, Kaiba. Yeah, you're right, it smells horrible!" she laughed along with him.

There was a brief silence. Seto skimmed Isis's face with his eyes. Her eyes were a creamy brown. They were so mysterious. Her skin color was a tanned yet beautiful shade of brown that clearly brought out her delicate features. When she talked, his heart felt a strange warmth. Sometimes, he swore his heartbeat became irregular.

All of a sudden, Seto felt a snag of pain in his side. He bent double and gasped for breath.

"Kaiba, are you ok?" Isis asked, standing up. She called the doctor over, who asked Seto a blur of questions about what he was feeling. Seto could barely squeeze the words out of his mouth; he could barely breathe without hurting.

"It – just – really – hurts – right – here," he managed. He felt Isis's long fingers grasping his hand. The pain was incredible. It felt like he was having cramps, but much worse. Whenever he breathed, whenever he moved, it hurt like crazy.

"We may have some complications here…" said the doctor.

"Just get him better!" screamed Isis. She was still grasping his hand.

Seto looked around in the room. Several doctors were rushing in. The heat of the many voices that were talking loudly were making him feel worse by the minute.

"What happened?" someone asked.

"I dunno. He just started hurting."

"Do we need an X-ray?"

"How would I know?"

"What do we do?"

The pain was getting worse now. Seto's forehead was streaming with sweat. His hands were shaking.

"Kaiba, it's ok. Just tell them what's wrong." Isis's face was inches away from Seto's. 

"It – hurts," he mustered. He was panting. He felt a sting in his side. It felt oddly like when he had clasped his hand around the Millennium Rod…

"ARGH!" Seto screamed in agony; one piercing, ear-splitting scream. And then the pain subsided as suddenly as it had started. Seto lay flat on his back, panting, sweating. 

"It's gone," he whispered. There was commotion as the doctors decided what to do next.

"What happened?" asked Isis, shocked and worried.

"I dunno. It just felt like something sharp hit my side. It hurt like crazy."

_Seto! Seto!_ A voice screamed inside Seto's head. He realized with happiness and anguish that it was Mokuba. Then, he heard Marik's usual high-pitched, evil cackle. _How's that for some pain? _it asked.

"I just heard…Mokuba_…and Marik. They were inside my head!" Seto glanced around, as if to check if anyone else had heard them._

"What did he say?" asked Isis.

"\Mokuba called out my name and Marik asked, "how's that for some pain?"

"Inside…your…head?" Isis asked. "I think… Marik connected you with Mokuba's mind. With his body!"

"But his body! It's with me! I thought Marik only had his soul!"

Isis hesitated and explained the little ball he had seen with Mokuba in it the day she had gone to visit Marik. She told him her suspicions, that Marik was torturing him.

"Torture! NO! MOKUBA!" Seto leapt from his bed, causing the wires that had been inserted into part of his body to come out. He felt small pains, but ran wildly out of the room, followed by Isis. The doctors yelled after him. One called security. Seto battled his way through groups of people and ran out of the hospital. He panted and nearly collapsed in the parking lot. He could not stand to hear that his brother was being tortured.

"It's ok, it's ok…" Isis soothed. She helped him up and the two walked away. "I'm here, Kaiba. I'm with you all the way, even if he is my brother…"

Seto looked up once again into those rich, creamy eyes. He planted his lips onto Isis's and felt energy soothing through his limbs. Liquid moistened his lips. He felt better already.

*~*~*~*~

dxdevlin: if that was really weird, sorry. 

seto: geez! I don't scream when I hurt.

dxdevlin: well, mr. too-embarrassed-to-scream, maybe you've never been hurt that bad

seto: whatever!

dxdevlin: remember to review! if u've forgotten how, click the "review" button down there 

seto: er… r people really that stupid these days?

dxdevlin: this is my show, ok? at least I let u kiss isis. we all know you're mad about her!! hahaha!!!

seto: hey, she is frickin' hot, ok?


	9. Fear is Deadly

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters, only the plot (sry if I didn't do that every chapter, please don't sue me, I'm really broke) 

Marik stood in the open alley of Miperg Ave. with a look of pure and utter disgust on his face. He beckoned a group of his Rare Hunters over with a single motion of his finger. 

"I demand you to set out and kill Yugi Mouto. If you succeed, bring his body back, as well the Millennium Puzzle. If you do not, do not come back. If you do not have either his body or the Puzzle, do not come back."

The Rare Hunters caught themselves before they gave Marik looks of confusion. They strolled off without further command. It was known among them that when Marik was defeated in some way, he was more deadly than ever.

"Master."

Marik turned his head swiftly and saw a straggler, a Rare Hunter who had not set off with the others. His lips tensed; his eyes glinted dangerously. He swept his body all the way around and glared at the Rare Hunter, as if waiting for him to speak.

"Master, I only wish to offer you my knowledge. Once you kill Yugi Mouto, you cannot make his Puzzle your own. You must duel him first, and once he is dead, that is not possible."

Marik's neck muscles tightened as he contained his anger for being countered by one of the lowly ones. His lips trembled. He tried to seem as if he had known this all along.

"Do not _question_ my orders."

"I was just giving you the facts. I don't – "

"I _said_, do not question my orders. I want Yugi Mouto dead and I want his puzzle."

"And as _I_ said, Master," the Rare Hunter quickly added. "You cannot do anything with his puzzle if you do not duel him first. That's what you want, isn't it?"  
  


Marik could not believe his ears. Who was this Rare Hunter to argue with him? And yet, how could he have overlooked the fact that the Puzzle was in fact no use to him if Yugi was dead?

"I know what I am doing, so go! I want him _dead_!" 

The Rare Hunter left without another glance at Marik.

"Wait, come back," Marik ordered. The Rare Hunter walked back. "Go tell the others that I changed my mind. I want Yugi back here alive, but hurt. Torture him, fight him, do anything, but do _not_ kill him. Now go." The Rare Hunter left once again.

Marik walked in front of Swilly. It had once been a wild bar, but when too many people had gotten drunk in it, the police forcefully closed it down. Marik pulled out his dagger and used it to jerk open the locked door. He stepped in, pulled cartons full of beers out from under the tables, and began drinking. This was his resort for his anger. Drinking made him feel more better than worse; it cleared his mind and gave him odd but wonderful sensations.  

He thought back to his previous life, a life of pleasure and adventure. He had guarded the Pharaoh's tomb with his sister, Isis. He had fought off grave robbers and magic. His life had been…exciting. But now, he inhibited a weak and useless being named Malik. His Rare Hunters were useless; they could not do anything right. His one, and greatest goal was to defeat Yugi in a duel and steal his Millennium Puzzle. Now, once again, Yugi had escaped from right under his nose. His spirit was too powerful. He had powers even unbeknownst (A/N-whoa, wut does that word mean :-D) to himself. 

Marik knew it was foolish to use Seto Kaiba's younger brother to strengthen his Rod. He was deranged, he was drunk. He was filled with such anger and lunacy that he had come up with such a foolish idea. He had thought that if his Rod was stronger, he could overcome the Pharaoh's great powers and brainwash his mind. He had thought that if he controlled the Pharaoh's mind, he could duel him. And he actually thought that it just might work.

But oh, Kaiba had to make a lunge for his Rod. Everything had gone wrong; Kaiba had been knocked unconscious, Yugi's Puzzle had suddenly emitted blasts of light, blinding Marik and the Rare Hunters. For the first time that Marik could remember, he had been _afraid._ He suddenly realized how powerful and indestructible the Pharaoh was… 

_He could kill me._

*~*~*~*~*~*

"What? What is it?"

Isis turned to look at Kaiba, who was watching her with a puzzled look on his face.

"It's nothing, really," she answered quietly. But she couldn't prevent her worried expression. There was nothing she feared more in the whole world than her brother. She feared his rage, his psychosis, his madness. Now that he had been thwarted by Yugi and Kaiba, he was surely out to get both of them.

"Isis!" Kaiba said again with a chuckle. "You're looking at me like you're nervous about something. Don't tell me it's nothing."

"No, no, really, it's nothing…"

"So he's your brother," Kaiba whispered, as if reading her mind. Isis didn't know how to respond. She merely shook her head.

"It's ok, we can talk." He continued. But Isis didn't speak. She couldn't. She was feeling strange and getting more worried by the minute. She couldn't stand feeling like this. She couldn't stand the thought that if Marik knew what she was up to, her life was on the line.

"I'm just tired, ok?" she said a little too forcefully. She lay down on the hard mattress with her back to Kaiba. She needed time to think.

"Yeah, me too, I guess." Isis listened to Kaiba stretching out the sleeping bag and laying on it. She felt guilty that he had to sleep on the ground while she got the mattress, but decided it was for the best.

As the night wore on, darkness fell, but Isis was more awake as the seconds rolled by. It was impossible to sleep. She couldn't stop feeling afraid for her life. Marik would instantly kill her the moment he found out about this, she knew. But Kaiba needed help.

_I don't love him, _she realized. She had known it all along; just failed to let it flow through her mind. _He's just a man who I don't see anything special in. He may love me, but I don't love him. I can't. Love can be deadly._

Isis gulped and quietly slid out of her covers. She tip-toed out of the building and into the streets. It was pouring outside. Fighting the tears that welled up in her eyes, she ran down the street. She was going to meet her brother. Fear was something she had never learned to cope with.


	10. Betrayal

DiScLaiMeR: I dOnT oWn AnYtHiNg iN tHiS fAnFiC eXcEpT tHe PloT 

Seto had heard her leave.

He had done nothing, thinking she was simply going out for a stroll or heading down to the washroom. Or perhaps he had been too lazy to question her actions. He had even had a faint glimpse of her grasping her clothing in a small bundle, but he had done nothing. Now she was gone.

And to think that he could trust her.

But then again, why not? She had told him that she would be on his side, not some maniac brother of hers. She had given him her faithful word that she would not leave his side. She had kissed him, too; she had leaned in at the same time that he had leaned in. It was a two-way kiss. That had to mean something.

Maybe she hadn't betrayed him. Maybe she had gone out and gotten lost. But the chance of that happening was as slim as Marik turning to the good side. 

With a melancholy sigh, Seto packed his bags. It was early dawn; streaks of sunlight were only beginning to seep through the clouds. Seto stopped at a nearby bar for breakfast. He felt crazed and wanted to let all the bundled up emotions out of his system. 

There was a two-man band playing up on stage: a drummer and a guitarist who also sang. Seto watched them for a few minutes, then ordered bacon, eggs, and two Scotches. The alcohol left his mouth dry and the food tasteless, but he was feeling better, more giddy-headed. When he looked around, he saw three ladies swinging their heads to the music. They looked to be a few years older than himself. Without stopping to think, he walked over to their table.

"Would any of you ladies care to join me for a dance?" Seto asked politely. One of the ladies muttered "and who are you?" under her breath, but another one stood up. Seto led her to the center of the floor. The lady, who's name he found out was Kara, giggled as she danced.

"How old are you?" asked Seto, yelling over the noise.

"Twenty-two!" answered Kara. "What about you?"

Seto's immediate reply would have been seventeen, but he didn't want to be shooed away by an older woman.

"Twenty-three!" he yelled. He gulped when he said it, but Kara didn't seem to notice.

"So what are you doing here so early in the morning?" she asked.

"Hey, you're here too!" he answered with a chuckle. "Well, I just needed to get crazy. I have a stressful life!"

"College?" she asked.

"Er…"

"I mean do you have a stressful life because you're in college?" she asked.

"No, I…"

"What, did you flunk out of school or something?"

"No! I…graduated…" Suddenly, Seto forgot what age people graduate from college.  
  


"Oh, ok. So where'd you go?"

"Go?" he asked. This conversation was gradually sliding down a hill.

"College! Are you drunk or something?"

"No! Not drunk! I mean, I'm not drunk. I…went to college at…I forgot the name…"

Kara looked at Seto oddly and took him back to her table.

"Hey buddy, you're drunk. You better sit down before you pass out or puke all over the place." She ordered a glass of water for him.

Suddenly he heard that squeaky voice inside his head again. _Perfect timing_, he thought.

_Isis. What are you doing here? _He heard faint words, but he made them out. He didn't realize he was leaning forward on the table until his forehead touched the glass of water.

"Hey, whatever you said your name is, WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?" Kara yelled.

"Shhhh!" Seto shot his finger up to his mouth, still trying to listen.

_I…_

_What? Does this have to do with Kaiba?_

_No…yes! Yes! He…I know where he is! I can-_

_And why would I want to know where he is?_

_If you want to-_

_What? Huh? He means nothing to me! I just needed his goddamn brother! _

The voices were louder now, and Seto had to strain his neck to try and lower the sound. It felt like his eardrums were popping.

"Hey someone! Call an ambulance! This guy's having a breakdown! Look, he's just…staring, and sweating!"

Marik, just… 

_What have you been doing, Isis? What, did you go see him or something? DID YOU?_

_No! I mean, yes. I did. I'm sorry. But I…just leave him alone. Leave his brother alone. Please…_

_So you turned against me, somehow! I told you, I'd kill you if you got involved in this! And you just went right ahead and-_

_Just leave me alone, please? I promise I won't help him anymore…I promise…_

_Oh, so you were helping him?! _

Seto did not realize that the bar had gone silent or that everyone was staring at him until he felt a deafening slap across his cheek. He fell back from his chair, stunned.

"What the? No!" He realized he had lost connection with Marik and Isis.

"C'mon, son! We're takin' you to the hospital," a gruff voice grunted. "Don't know what you had here, but you ain't right!"

"Again? I just – No! Let me go! Please! I'm ok! Look! I can walk, I can talk."

But he was already lying on a stretcher in the back of the ambulance. The sirens sounded, and he felt a nauseating gush as it took off.

"What happened?" one doctor asked the other. Seto looked back and forth at them like they were crazy. He gave up trying to get their attention and lay down for a few seconds. Then, making up his mind, he sat up and dealt the two doctors with a kick to their stomachs, one with each of his legs. Then, he banged open the ambulance door and was immediately swept out onto the street. He bounced on the hard gravel for ten yards. By the time his body stopped, he felt faint. Blood was gushing down his leg. But before he could even take in his pain, he realized he had no idea where Marik and Isis were. 

"You all right there, buddy?" a pedestrian passing by asked. "Ugh. Blood. You need an ambulance? I got a phone."

"Ah, I'm alright," Seto panted. He staggered onto the sidewalk to avoid oncoming cars. _Mokuba,_ he thought.

&~&~&~&~

dxdevlin: well, sorry. long time no update but im getting sick of writing fanfics anyway. o well, that chapter was kind of weird and I have no idea whats gonna happen or where this is going. if u have any suggestions, im here to hear them, k?

seto: yes suggestions r good. blood gushing down my leg. how do u kick two doctors at once and push open an ambulance door? that's weird yo.****


	11. Conspiracy?

**dIsClAiMeR: I don't own any characters.**

coolio I haven't update since august…

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||**CHAPTER ELEVEN**|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 

Isis shook violently as the icy air of the dungeon crawled into her skin. Dealing with her ill-tempered brother had not the best of encounters; his neck had literally bulged with anger, and in the end, he finally lost any control he had and threw Isis into an underground room. She was held captive, she realized. She doubted Marik would starve her to death; he still wanted to take control of her Millennium Necklace. But these days, who knew?

It was a small scratching sound from the corner of the room that aroused Isis from her thoughts. She crept over, squinting her eyes, trying to see in the perpetual darkness. Finally, she sensed the movement. It was from a tiny boy with dark brown hair …the younger Kaiba brother.

Isis swore under her breath as she examined him. He was half-sitting, his legs sprawled out wildly and his head tilted oddly. His eyelids were fluttering up and down uncontrollably. Isis rested her knuckle on his face, and pulled back suddenly. His skin, despite the cold, was feverishly hot. His face was cut; blood that had spattered all over his body was now hardened. She realized that if he did not have the right nourishment, he would die.

As Isis felt him over, she found that his body began to show movement. She covered his body with blankets that she had discovered nearby. His eyes gradually opened.

"Hey," she whispered, stroking his arms. "Wake up, you."

As she peered into his eyes, she realized that they were gray and lifeless, almost as if…he were dead. But he began to speak. His voice was like his eyes, quiet and lifeless. It seemed like the air was talking, not him.

"Who are you?" he asked softly.

"I'm a friend. Well, of your brother. What's your name?"

The boy took a long, shuddering breath and replied. "Mokuba."

"How do you feel?" asked Isis.

"Tired," he answered. "Where's Seto?"

"Seto…he's coming to save you. And me. I hope. Here, Mokuba. Why don't you get some sleep? Are you hungry?"

But he had already dozed off. Or perhaps he had slipped back into a coma.

Isis kissed him lightly on his cheek. She suddenly comprehended the extent of Marik's cruelty. How could he torture such a sweet and innocent boy? She was already regretting deserting Kaiba, yet she didn't know how she could stand to be with him any longer. She couldn't come to terms with herself. Fear dominated her, yet she wanted to be brave. She felt powerless.0

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Seto found his work in Kaiba Corp harder to concentrate on. He lost his temper with everyone and everything. The company was consistently losing money. Its stocks were sliding downward daily. Seto struggled to focus on his work and bring the company's success and finances up to date, but he found that the harder he tried, the harder it became. He couldn't focus; he couldn't think. 

As Seto strolled into his office that day, still limping from jumping out of an ambulance, he found two grim-faced, black-suited men were waiting for him. They nodded a greeting and requested him to sit in his usual chair.

"Good morning, Mr. Kaiba. We have serious issues to discuss. My name is Clark Kenton. I'm the owner of Kaiba Corp. This is – "

"Excuse me?" interrupted Seto. "You're the owner of Kaiba Corp.? Aren't _I _the owner?"

Mr. Kenton sighed. "You are the CEO, I am the owner. Please, let me continue. We don't have much time. Anyway, this is Andrew Rezowsky, my assistant."

"Go on," said Seto in a bored voice.

"We have discovered that your role as the CEO of Kaiba Corp. has caused the company to lose money and satisfaction from our customers. This is a serious problem, Mr. Kaiba. If we do not reach a resolution today, you may be out of a job."

"Clark… Mr. Kenton, I mean. This isn't my problem. I come in here everyday at 7am and work until 9 at night. I turn in my work on time. What else do you want?"

"Mr. Kaiba!" snapped Mr. Kenton. "You secretaries have confirmed that for the past week, you have done nothing but lose your temper, slam doors, and consistently walk out of meetings. They reported that you did not even show up or call in sick two days ago. If there's a personal problem, we can discuss it and settle it."

"Yes, it is a personal problem, Mr. Kenton. And if you don't mind, I shall prefer not to share aspects of my _personal_ life with strangers. Look, I'm sorry the company isn't performing up to your expectations. I'll work harder. I've been distracted lately, but from now on, you'll see improvement. Is that ok with you?"

Mr. Rezowsky now began to speak. "As the CEO of this company, I would have expected a more professional and courteous man. You are what, seventeen? Perhaps if your personal life revolves around nothing but wild parties, dating, and socializing, then you are not well suited for this job. We cannot allow the future of this company to be tampered with."

Seto's legs were itching from listening to the two men. "You're only wasting my time here. Nothing will be achieved by simply insulting me, will it?"

Mr. Kenton abruptly stood up. He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward toward Seto. 

"If Mr. Rezowsky and myself are merely wasting your precious time, why don't you just leave? There are plenty of more competent men who would love to be the CEO of Kaiba Corp., don't you think?

Seto was tempted to knock over a table or throw a fit, but he kept his cool. "Why don't you tell me what this meeting is really about?"

Mr. Kenton sighed, aggravated. "This meeting was obviously meant to settle your problems. But since that cannot be accomplished, let's put it this way. You're fired."

"No, Mr. Kenton. I'm not. I know you're not the owner, and I know that's not what this is about. Why don't you just tell me and get on with your business?"

"Fine," declared Mr. Kenton. He sighed again and put his head in his hands. "First of all," he began. "Did your stepfather tell you that we were excellent friends?"

"_My stepfather?_" Seto's voice was sharp. "If that bastard has _anything _to do with this…"

"Calm down, calm down," continued Mr. Kenton. "Don't insult that man; he was extremely powerful. He had capabilities that exceed your imagination. Anyway, he had secrets. And he asked me to place you as the CEO of his company so that you would discover, well, those secrets." Mr. Kenton leaned back in his chair. "Now you have it."

Seto shook his head. He was dazzled by the fact that something like this had happened. Was his whole life and career based on the actions of these two men?

"What secrets are you talking about?" he asked.

Mr. Kenton and Mr. Rezowsky both stood up, to Seto's dismay. "We must get going," said Mr. Kenton. As the two men walked away, Mr. Kenton turned his head around.

"Oh. By the way, you _are_ fired." 

_Dammit_, thought Seto, for the umpteenth time. Life only got worse, never better. Mokuba was gone, Isis had abandoned him, and now, he had just learned that his stepfather, his ever so hated stepfather, had secrets that Seto was not supposed to know of. What was this world turning into?

00000*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*00000

DxDevlin: well I forgot what kaiba's stepfather's name was. I think it was Gozubaro or something like that. But someone still tell me! and what did he do and stuff. and did he die by the way? 

this chapter was really weird too. I want to turn the whole kaiba/mr kenton thing into this conspiracy, but it seriously makes no sense. like why would seto go to work if he needed to find mokuba? I think im turning into a really sucky writer. 

p.s. it was really weird one day when I checked my fanfic and suddenly the reviews had gone from 30 to 50…

     g:::::::::::=::::::::::``````\

    l::::::::::::::::::::::3``````q        shoot myself…

          ;: : :;`x

            : : :;

            .ss


	12. Power and Heart

disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this story

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~

By the way, I forgot what Yugi's grandfather's name was, so I call him Mr. Motto. If that's not his last name, SORRY-*-__-*-

(())(())(())(())(())())(()(())(())(())(())(()))

CHAPTER TWELVE:: DOUZE:: DOS:: SHI ER (THAT'S SPANISH FRENCH AND CHINESE FOR TWELVE BTW IM NOT SURE HOW TO SPELL IT IN SPANISH THOUGH)

Isis eyes shot open as a bowl careened towards her from under the door. As she crawled toward it, she saw that it contained some kind of porridge. The food wasn't exactly decent, but it was welcoming. She gulped it down in small sips, then fed the rest to Mokuba. His health was becoming worse and worse. His lack of nutrition was taking a drastic toll.

"C'mon, Mokuba. We're getting out of here. I don't care if we're going to have to risk our lives doing it, but we're not going to be penned up any longer by that maniac." Isis had learned her lesson about Marik. He was unchangeable.

She scanned the dungeon for nooks and crannies. There was a window, but it was thick and had steel bars going across it. She swept the floor with her hands, searching for any signs of an opening. There was nothing.

And then, as she glanced around, she suddenly spotted something golden flicker for a second…

+_+

…..

"Mr. Motto, Mr. Motto, I need your help."

Yugi's grandfather opened the door and stared into the face of a familiar teenager. 

"Thank god you're home," the teenager panted. "By the way, my name is Seto Kaiba. I need your help."

"Mr. Kaiba," Mr. Motto answered. "Come on in."

Seto took no time in settling himself down. He began talking instantly.

"Mr. Motto, did you know Gozubaro Kaiba, my stepfather?"

Mr. Motto raised his eyebrow at the name and hesitantly answered. 

"Why yes, I did. He was a few years younger than myself, but I remember him as an arrogant, bullying man. He berated others for fun…yet he always got his laughs."

"Well, did you know of any, say, secrets, that he had? Any at all?"

"Secrets?" Mr. Motto gulped slightly.

"Yes, _secrets_. You know something?"

Mr. Motto opened and closed his mouth, each time failing to release any words. Finally, he answered. 

"If you really need to know, I have some possessions of his that you may care to see. Follow me."

Seto followed the old man into a room in the back of the house. The room had walls plastered with Duel Monster pictures.

"Here," Mr. Motto muttered as he yanked open a drawer. He took out three silver objects. "These belonged to Gozubaro Kaiba. I've tried to decipher the ancient writing on them for years, but I still can't understand what they mean."

"May I take a look?" asked Seto. Mr. Motto gently handed them to him. The three objects were miniatures of a sword, a crown, and an oddly shaped heart.

Seto realized, as he examined the writing on the sword, that he could read the words. They gave a pleasant and familiar feeling…

"I can't explain this, but I understand what this means. I don't know how; I don't even know what language this is written in."

Mr. Motto peered into the face of Seto Kaiba. 

"Well, what do they say, son?"

Seto squinted and translated each word as well as he could.

"It says: Power is strength. Strength is fortitude. Fortitude is heart. Heart is infinite."

"Wow…" marveled Mr. Motto. "Never in all my years have I encountered anything so extraordinary. How you can read this, I may never know, but this was destined for you. How about the writing on the crown, or the heart?"

Seto slowly translated these words.

"The heart says, 'When one and one become two, it is perfection. When one and one become three, it is love.' And the crown says, 'Power can be enclosed. Desire is eternal."

"I think these objects are meant to give you advice…"

Seto looked up with sudden comprehension. 

"And excellent advice it is… Mr. Motto, my dilemna is that Marik Ishtar, the bearer of the Millennium Rod, has kidnapped my brother. I believe he wants to sacrifice my brother's life in order to strengthen his Rod. His ultimate goal is to control all seven Millennium Items, and by making his more powerful than the others, he can somehow control them.

"And there's another part," he continued. "Marik's sister, Isis Ishtar, tried to help me. But for some reason, she deserted me. I can't figure it out; maybe she doesn't care for me. But I have a feeling that she's in danger. While she was with me, I felt…deep passion toward her. I think I was falling in love with her."

Mr. Motto fingered the silver objects. Their brilliance vibrated in his eyes. He shook his head in amazement.

"My son, this was meant for you. I suppose the sword is telling you that Marik is not indestructible. He has power, but only from his Rod. Does he have mental and physical strength? Is he brave? Is he daring? Would he sacrifice his life? I doubt it. And most importantly, does he have heart? No, I have a notion that his heart is made of ice."

"And therefore," Seto's voice grew. "If he has no heart, his power is not infinite."

"Exactly! And the heart is saying that it is only true love when a pair is greater than the sum of its parts. You may equal one, and Isis may equal one, but when you are combined, you will equal three if the bond between you is strong enough."

Seto nodded his head in agreement.

"And the crown, which symbolizes authority and power, is saying that power can be restrained if there is enough force against it. But if you have enough desire, no one can stop you."

Seto's eyes shone with new life. "Mr. Motto, how did you get these objects? You explained that Gozubaro was a bully, so I doubt you were friends."

"I actually got them from another man," answered Mr. Motto. "He was auctioning them off after Gozubaro's death. He said they belonged to him but were useless. I suppose he was a good friend of Gozubaro's."

Seto made connections between the people he had met recently and asked an important question. He hoped the answer was yes. 

"Was this man's name, er, Kenton? Clark Kenton?"  
  


"No," replied Mr. Motto as he thought. Seto's eyes drooped. "I remember it as… Rezowsky."

Seto snapped his fingers as he tried to remember where he had heard that name before.

"Yes!" he exclaimed after a few moments. "It was him, wasn't it? Kenton's assistant! Here, let's sit down. Tell me everything you know about this Rezowsky, Marik Ishtar, and Gozubaro. _Everthing_."

|||||||||||||||||||||||::::::|||||||||                    better gun than last time? not really kinda crappy

|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|:|

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sorry I kinda ended that on a cliffhanger. but it's a good cliffhanger huh? J but hey when ppl read fanfics they get sick of it after a while so long chpts aren't that good…

so thanks for the reviews guys! some ppl r threatening me buts that's alrite…

stay tune for the next chapter ITS GONNA BE AWESOME BEYOND UR SAD SAD IMAGINATION and stay tune for the rest of the story cuz I promise THERES GONNA BE ANOTHER KISS o yeh… but I might make it rele depressing in the end though but still ITS GONNA BE AWESOME

$^$

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dxdevlin


	13. Kenton

Disclaimer: I own no characters in this story::..::

CHAPTER 13:

_continued from chpt. 12…_

"Everything? I really don't know much about any of them, actually. I apologize that I can't be of much use." Mr. Motto scratched his head, but couldn't think of any useful information he might have known.

Seto furrowed his eyebrows, deciding what to do.

"It's ok. I think I'll be going now. Sir, thanks a lot for the help you've given me." He stood up and shook Mr. Motto's hand. "It was a pleasure talking with you. I think I'll go have a little chat with Mr. Kenton and this Rezowsky."

"Wait," Mr. Motto shouted as he reached over to the table. "Take these. My conscience tells me there's more to these three objects than meets the eye."

Seto gently placed the crown, the sword, and the heart into his bag. "Thanks," he said as he stepped out of the house. He called for a taxi to take him back to his office, which wasn't locked. Maybe this was a scam, and he wasn't fired. He found Clark Kenton's address in the phone book and proceeded there. Not surprisingly, the house was a grand mansion, worth at least one million, maybe more.

Seto took one deep breath, soothing his chilled nerves, and walked steadily toward the front door. He rang the doorbell and, looking around, spotted a miniature camera peering at him. He stuck his tongue out at it.

A small, shriveled old lady greeted him suspiciously at the door. "What do you want?" her raspy voice croaked out.

"Is…Mr. Kenton home, ma'am?"

"Er, yes, he'll be right with you." With that, she shut the door. After a moment of pacing around the front porch, the door finally opened. Clark Kenton, with his good-natured smile, shook Seto's hand and asked him to come in. 

"Good to see you again, my friend," he said.

"I'm not your friend…but no matter. We have to talk. And please, no more lies?"

Mr. Kenton contorted his face as if he had been outrageously accused. "Lies? Right. So let's get down to business. What would you like to talk about?"

Seto began his questioning. "First of all, I don't think you're the owners of Kaiba Corp. You and Rezowsky, I mean. But that's not the important part. The thing I want to know is what connection you had with my stepfather, Gozubaro Kaiba."

For a moment, Mr. Kenton's face twitched, but he then looked up at the ceiling, muttered a few "hmmm…'s", and finally thought up an answer.

"Frankly, we had no real connection. We had just known each other through several social affairs and whatnot."

Seto kept questioning. "So then how did you two become, if what you say is true, the owners of his company? And – " he hastily interrupated as Mr. Kenton was about to answer. "Why did Rezowsky auction off three of his belongings?"  

Mr. Kenton changed his expression from good-humored to serious. "I don't – I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you do." This time, Seto was smiling. "I need an answer. And no, not any answer. I need the truth."

"Ok…" said Mr. Kenton. "As I said, Mr. Rezowsky and I encountered Gozubaro at social affairs, and we got to know each other. We, back then, had jobs at a local computer company, and when he started Kaiba Corp., he asked if we'd like to work for him."

"And…"

"And so we worked for him. I was the Vice President of the company, while Mr. Rezowsky was his Chief Advisor. When he died, we took over."

"What about the belongings? The crown? The sword? The heart?"

Mr. Kenton seemed to suddenly remember. "Oh, those! They were some belongings he had lying around his office. Rezowsky decided to auction them off. He made a few bucks too…"

Seto shook his head and rolled his eyes. "And you're just made out of a bunch of bull. Every word that comes out of that mouth of yours is a lie. Don't think I'm stupid; I may be seventeen, but I'm a smart little kid."

Mr. Kenton looked grave. "This is my house – I can kick you out if you want. Would you like that? Or would you like to apologize?"

"Apologize? For what? You're the liar; I'm the one who's suffering because of it. If anything, you should apologize to me, and you should give me some real answers before I lose my cool. Do you understand? And yes, I remember now. When we were having that nice little conversation back in my company, you said that Gozubaro had power beyond my imagination, yes? What was that all about? Or do you want to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about again?"

Seto strolled over to the silenced Mr. Kenton and loomed over him. "Tell me the truth. It must be something serious if you have to make a fool out of yourself with all your inept lies. I have a gun, you know. I've heard that rich men cower at bullets."

Mr. Kenton leaned further back in his chair. As if unafraid, he declared, "Show me, then."

With a small chuckle, Seto thrust out a small pistol and pointed it at Mr. Kenton. 

"I'm not afraid to pull this trigger with this gun pointing at you head. I'd go to jail, but who cares? In my lifetime, I've lost my parents and I've been tortured to death by my stepfather. I've nearly lost my brother, and now he's gone again. The only time I've loved a woman ended up in her leaving me. I've given up my title as a Duel Monster Champion. I'd think I'd know the meaning of pain, but the question is, do you?"

Mr. Kenton was now visibly afraid. "Under what conditions will you shoot?"  
  


"On your first lie."

"How will you know if I'm lying?"

"I'll know, all right. My advice is: tell the truth, I'll let you go. You have my word."

"And if – "

"Cut the crap, ok? Start talking. I swear to god, if you stall one more time, I'll pull this trigger. Tell me everything about Gozubaro, this Kaiba Corp. issue, even Marik Ishtar, if you know who he is. I'm an excellent lie-detector, and I will shoot."

Mr. Kenton's brain raced. "You won't shoot."

A single shot rang out, the bullet a centimeter away from hitting Mr. Kenton's ear. 

"I'm serious, you moron! Next time, it'll be your ear that goes, then your arms, your legs, a finger at a time…TALK!"

Seto had established what he wanted in Mr. Kenton: fear. He began talking nervously and truthfully, unless he was a very good liar.

"I understand, yes. About your question of whether or not we are the owners of Kaiba Corp., yes we are, and I'm the CEO. You're no one. Gozubaro had powers that came from the crown, the sword, and the heart, and when he adopted you, he passed them on to you. Marik Ishtar…yes, Gozubaro knew him well, and they made a deal. Marik told Gozubaro about his plan to take control of the Millennium Items and – "

"Hold up, hold up. What powers did he have?"

"Uh…those three objects are similar to the Millennium Items, but they're called the Silvers"

"And what do they do?"

"The crown gives you authority and control. With it, you can brainwash people's minds into obeying you. The sword gives you physical as well as mental strength and toughness. The heart can make anyone instantly fall in love with you."

Seto hesitated. This sounded a bit farfetched, but what if it was the truth?

"So these items are somewhat evil," he concluded, testing Mr. Kenton. 

"I suppose so."

"So keep going…my stepfather made a deal with Marik…"

"Yes. Gozubaro agreed that to prevent you from destroying his plan, he would instate you as the CEO of his company, Kaiba Corp., so that you would always have something to do."

"I don't understand…"

Mr. Kenton began to ease up. He even mustered a smile. Seto angrily fired a shot that caught a piece of Mr. Kenton's shoe. The shot rang in Mr. Kenton's ears.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Marik didn't want you to discover you powers, and Gozubaro told Mr. Rezowsky and I to watch over you, to make sure you didn't somehow discover them. You're really not the CEO; you just think you are. You don't really affect the company at all."

"So how come you fired me?"

"Because Marik told me his plan was almost complete and that you could do whatever you wanted."

Seto froze. "What?"

"The whole point of you being the CEO is so you don't discover your powers and use them to corrupt Marik's plan. Now that his plan is nearly complete, he told us that we don't have to watch you anymore."

"Nearly complete, you say?"

"That's what he said."

"So I have these powers, you say? How do I use them?"

Mr. Kenton opened and closed his mouth, as if trying to conjure an answer.

"HOW DO I USE THEM?" yelled Seto.

"Put on the crown, hold the sword, and kiss the heart."

Seto's eyes gleamed. "Looks like I've got you in a corner, haven't I? Didn't know I had the Silvers, if that's what they're called? Well I do, and I'm going to do as you say. If it works, I let you go. If it doesn't, you're a dead man. So tell me if you're lying now, before it's too late."

"I'm…I'm telling the truth."

"Good." Seto pulled out the three objects out of his bag with his hand still fastened to the trigger. He first put the crown onto his head, as Mr. Kenton had said. Suddenly, Mr. Kenton's eyes changed. They looked straight at him without fear or mirth.

"Are you telling the truth?" Seto questioned, testing out his 'power.'

"Yes," Mr. Kenton answered. 

"Take off your shoe."

Mr. Kenton did so.

"If this works, you'll do this, but not if it doesn't." Seto laughed a psychotic laugh. "Break the bone in your finger."

Without hesitation, Mr. Kenton bent his finger further than any finger can go. A sickening crack followed, and the bone stuck out the skin. Blood seeped through his skin. Mr. Kenton yelped in pain.

"So you tell the truth…idiot."

Seto held the sword in his hands. Nothing happened. Alarmed, he held it in fighting position. Still, nothing happened. Wait a second, he thought. Testing his strength, he placed his hand under the sofa and lifted. Surprisingly, it felt as light as a feather. Interesting…he thought.

Seto decided to save the heart for later. It wouldn't do him much use now.

"Bye now, my friend. Hope your finger heals fast. Thanks for all that info. I wasn't going to shoot, you idiot. And I'm no lie-detector. You're just an idiot. Ha, it's hilarious."

_)_()_)()_)()_)())_

yay that chpt was so long wasn't it? almost 2000 words. wow what an interesting chpt. some of it doesn't make sense but its got all the 'answers'. 

((((((()—|||*(0*    dude shoot me already (I wish seto had shot me instead)

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thanks for the reviews. u guys r weird!


	14. Taming the Evil

maybe this is the last chpt. I cant make it go on forever cuz then it'll just be a pointless story. so read it…see how you like it. if you want me to write more then say so in ur review. or maybe I could write a sequel.

Chapter 14: ~: ~: ~: ~: ~: ~: ~: ~: ~: ~: ~: ~: ~: ~: ~

Seto had spent the last six hours scrutinizing his files, trying to at least come up with an idea of Marik's whereabouts. The search hadn't been entirely fruitless; Seto had at least found out Marik's address. Well, at least where he had lived eight years ago.

With a sigh, Seto stood up from kneeling on the ground, patted his dusty pants, and set out to the address: 1031 Lixiour Ct. His limousine driver had apparently never heard of such a street, but Seto had found it on a dusty old map from ten years ago. Recently published maps didn't have the street listed in the index, and where it should have been, there was a high school. 

The drive turned out to be longer than Seto had expected. He stared out through the window at the eternal green fields. _Such life_, he thought. He used to have a life. He had a great job that dissolved his boredom. He had a little brother whom he loved and cared for. He had an amazing Duel Monster deck and was a proud champion of the game.

And he lost it all.

He might have had gained something: love for a woman, which had never happened before. But he had lost that too. What did he have now? A home. Money. A limousine. 

An impossible enemy.

"Here y'are, Mr. Kaiba, sir. That over there's Pariah High School, and that over there's where this Lixiour Street technically is. And I _stress_ technically. Oh, and there's a street sign o'er there…maybe if you'd look closer and brush the dirt off it, it'll say something."

"All right," Seto replied to the driver. "Wait for me here. I may take two seconds; I may take a couple of days."

"Yes, sir."

Seto was about to leave, but turned back.

"Do you have any idea what I'm going to go in there?" he asked.

"No, sir."

"I'm going in there to get my life back. But it'll be dangerous. Chances are, I'll come back here in a few minutes because what I'm looking for isn't there. But if it is, I may not succeed. If night falls and I'm still not back, leave."

"Do you mean if you die?"

Seto began to walk away again. "Yes," he answered without turning his head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_What's that?_ Isis wondered. Some kind of golden object protruded through a pile of junk. She dug through the pile until she had hollowed out the entire object. It appeared to be an upside-down cone that extended through the ground. It must have been about five feet long.

"Mokuba, I found something," she whispered, fearful that she had found something she wasn't supposed to know about, yet excited that it could help them escape.

The boy crawled over from his corner. His eyes beamed with curiosity as he examined the dazzling object.

"Isis! Look, there's a button on it. Over there!" Enthusiasm grew in his voice.

Isis's hand was shaking as she reached down to touch the red button.

"Should I?" she asked nervously.

"Yes. If we're going to have to live like this forever, we might as well see what it does."

Isis gently placed her hand on the button. Closing her eyes, she pressed it firmly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seto examined the street sign caked in dust. The dust had literally molded and was as hard as a rock. Seto was forced to scrape it away with his fingernails. After he had done so, he realized with a sigh that it was blank. Then, he spotted words. He squinted his eyes, shaded the sign with his hand, and made out tiny letters engraved onto the sign. It read: SOULKILLERS.

"Creepy, Marik. Nice try," he whispered.

He walked into the wooded area in front of him. The trees were so crowded together that it was difficult to get through. A sticky substance covered the tree bark. Seto moaned in disgust as the slime stuck to his cloak.

There was something suspicious about this forest. The trees seemed to be aligned in ways that weren't natural. Their leaves were black; at least that's what they seemed like in the dark.

A trap?

Suddenly, as if an answer, large hooded men appeared out of nowhere. Their eyes were cold and black; their daggers were sharp and menacing.

"Shit…" hissed Seto under his breath.

"What brings you here?" bellowed one of the hooded men.

Seto could find no words. He didn't want to get killed, yet what could he say?

"Do you not speak? Then leave, or be killed!"

Seto stood his ground. Bravely, yet with a shaking hand, he spoke. "I am trying to locate a Marik Ishtar."

Silence.

Then the hooded man began to speak again. "What reason could you have to see him?"

"I would like to have a chat with him, if that's all right."

"Then we shall escort you. We are his Rare Hunters."

The Rare Hunters walked over to Seto and pointed to the direction that he should walk in. Their daggers were pointed at his body.

"This way."

They walked slowly through the forest. Seto showed no fear, but inwardly his mind was racing. Finally, he decided to take action. Maybe he would pay for it, maybe he wouldn't.

Seto carefully pulled out his miniature sword from his pocket. His finger felt its sides; they were extremely sharp. 

Killer material. 

With all the energy he could muster, he stabbed the Rare Hunter behind him in the stomach. The Rare Hunter groaned and staggered back; Seto felt his sword slide out smoothly. The other two abruptly stopped and went over to examine their comrade, not suspecting foul play.

Eagerness and fearlessness overcame Seto. He jumped onto the Rare Hunters' backs and thrust his sword into their backs one at a time. They fell forward silently.

Seto laughed. "Kaiba the savior. Kaiba the murderer. What a joke."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The red button triggered no effect. For a moment, at least. After that moment, Isis felt the ground shake. The upside-down cone's center opened. Stairs spiraled all the way down.

"Mokuba. Oh my god, look."

"Where do they go?" asked the little boy.

"I don't know. Let's see."

The stairs were difficult to get down, especially while supporting a weak Mokuba. At the end was a tiny room. A chair with its back facing the stairs was rocking back and forth. 

Marik was sitting in it.

"…what's the deal?" Marik asked, talking into his microphone. 

"We've got a man here, says he wants to talk to you. Should we let him in?"

"Hmm…is he tall and strongly built?"

"I suppose so, yes. Although – "

The voice was suddenly cut off. A moan followed.

"What the…!" exclaimed Marik.

Isis grabbed Mokuba's shoulder and pulled him into a corner. She mouthed the word "hide."

Marik's murmured and muttered. He turned over in his chair.

"Isis?!" he hissed, seeing his sister and Mokuba. "You – "

Suddenly, a door in the back slammed open. Standing in the doorway was none other than Seto Kaiba. Marik, astonished, jumped up from his chair. He noticed the silver crown on top of Seto's head and the silver sword in his hand.

"Kaiba! Where did you get those?" screamed Marik. With a sweep of his hand, he thrust his Millennium Rod toward Seto. A golden jet spurred out. Seto instantly blocked it with his sword. He was unscratched.

"Damn you, Kaiba! I cannot believe that such a puny man such as you could…could – "

Seto ignored Marik's comments. He twirled his sword around with his fingers and charged at Marik. Trying to absorb the power from the crown, he muttered, "Marik, release your Rod and lie down…"

For a second, Marik's eyes grew into the same dullness as Mr. Kenton's had, but a second later, he laughed and was back to normal. Seto panicked but quickly wrapped his arm around Marik's neck, with the edge of his sword pressed against the flesh.

"Marik," Seto whispered angrily. "You have caused me so much stress and anger. But that will end today. Now."

"Wait," murmured a small voice. Isis appeared out of her hiding place. "If you kill him, you'll kill me."

"What…?"

"We share a strong bond. Death to one of us means death to us both."

Seto's grip loosened, but he refused to let go.

"Kill him, Seto. It's ok. We've lived long enough." Isis managed a smile. "Do it, Seto. If you don't, he'll kill you." 

Seto's emotions overcame his actions. Fear, horror, and dread filled his senses. He dropped the sword.

In an instant, Marik was on top of him. His Rod was raised high above Seto's body. Marik snickered his high-pitched laugh.

"You _idiot_. Yes, it will end today, Kaiba. _Now."_

The Rod was plunged down toward Seto's chest. But Marik suddenly collapsed. 

Dazed, Seto sat up and looked around. Isis's body lay crumpled in front of him; blood trickled from her sides. She had stabbed herself. Seto crawled toward her, his limbs functioning wildly.

"Isis…how could you?" he lifted her face from the ground. He knew she was dead. "Why would you…how could you…?" He felt her body over. Warmth still radiated from it.

"Seto."

Seto whipped around and realized it was only Mokuba.

Mokuba.

In a flash, Seto had grabbed his little brother in a fierce hug. Tears erupted down his face. Here was the reason he had been on this journey. Had he succeeded?

"I'm sorry, Seto."

Seto stared into his brother's eyes.

"So am I, but it's ok."

"Can we go home now?"

Seto looked back at Isis and tenderly placed Mokuba down on the ground. He walked over to Isis's body.

"Isis, you didn't have to do that, you know? Death wouldn't have been that bad. But you did. You gave up your life for me. Here, take this." Seto took out the little silver heart that Mr. Motto had given him. "You can make anyone fall in love with you. Not that you need it, of course. But anyway, I'd always hoped you loved me, because I love you. Guess I'll never find out, huh? But you died for me, and that's enough for now."

He kissed Isis softly on her lips. Then he walked away.

"Let's go home, Mokuba."

~`THE END`~

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I guess that's the end…sry I made it so depressing (well it wasn't that depressing but she did die). its late so ill revise the whole story later and maybe fix all the mistakes.

wow I actually finished a fanfic. I thought id just keep writing on and on.

R&R!

~dxdevlin

~~~~~[][][]    shoot me NOW

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